CYCLE SUPER HIGHWAYS BACKGROUND Cycling offers huge benefits for the the positives of riding a bike outweigh the individual as well as for society. For the negatives. We must rethink the hierarchy individual, cycling is healthy, flexible of routes for bikes, and rethink traffic and fast. For society, a large number of planning across municipal borders. There- cyclists primarily means more efficient fore, 18 municipalities and the Capital traffic movement, reduced congestion Region of Copenhagen have joined forces and pollution, as well as societal health to make the region of Copenhagen the benefits as a result of increased exercise. greatest cycling region in the world. 35 % off all commuting in Copenhagen is already done by bike. So how can we per- The aim of this project is to get more suade even more commuters, to choose people to commute by bike over longer bicycling? distances. What we intend to do is spoil the existing and coming bike commuters, When distances are longer than 5km, only by creating a network of cycle super high- 20 % of all commuter journeys are made ways, making it even more attractive for by bike. So the answer lies in unlock- them to use their bikes as a daily means ing this potential. To succeed in this, we of transport. We want people to perceive must make commuters’ journey by bike, these routes as a serious alternative, as fast and pleasant as possible, so that equal to taking the car, bus or train. CONTENTS Background 2 A unique partnership 4 There are many good reasons to be part of this project 6 A competitive alternative 7 Definition of Cycle Super Highways 8 It pays to invest in great cycling infrastructure 11 Unveiling the potential of long distance commuters 12 The Cycle Super Highway Network 14 Map 15 2 3 A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP Cars and public transportation already safety, noise and pollution. Since bikes do Sixteen municipalities are working to- possess a network, which transcends and not create these problems their routes can gether to create a network of Cycle Super connects municipalities in the region and go directly through more densely popu- Highways. They have created a common Rudersdal in the country. If the bike is to succeed as lated areas. This will even be a benefit for secretariat, to ensure momentum and a competitive alternative means of trans- those residents, because they can use the brand the network. Lyngby-Taarbæk portation, there has to be a network of cycle route as well. Furesø Gentofte bicycle routes transcending and connect- Together, the municipalities have devel- Gladsaxe ing municipalities. In Denmark, the highest ranked roads are oped a common conceptual strategy and Herlev Ballerup owned and run by the state, and the low- plan for Cycle Super Highways, adopted So far, the hierarchy of roads in Denmark est ranked roads are owned and run by by the politicians in all the municipalities. Glostrup Albertslund Frederiksberg has focused on car users. The cycling fa- the landowners along the road. Municipal- Rødovre København cilities have more or less been determined ities run the rest. This results in a varying The routes and secretariat are funded by Brøndby Vallensbæk by the rank of the road. This has given degree of quality for the separately owned the municipalities, the Region and the Hvidovre many excellent cycle routes alongside roads. The highest ranked roads are high Danish Road Directorate. Ishøj Tårnby Dragør car routes. The best routes for bikes quality, meeting the need for safe, fast however, are not always the best for cars driving. The municipalities however, have The project is continuously expanding, and vice versa. Cyclists always choose different priorities and levels of mainte- with 6 new municipalities joining in 2012. the shortest – and thereby the fastest – nance. The best routes for cyclists often The aim is to cover the whole Region of route. But when it comes to car traffic, the follow different kinds of road, crossing Copenhagen, and possibly more. shortest route is not always the fastest. In over different municipalities, which results traffic planning, car routes are often led in a wide range of quality during one bike away from residential areas for reasons of trip. ”If we really want to see levels of obe- sity declining, we have to move on from the rhetoric. We need to see a visible investment in infrastructure that makes cycling and walking the travel modes of choice” Tim Crayford, president of the Ass. of Directors of Public Health, UK 4 5 THERE ARE MANY GOOD REASONS A COMPETITIVE ALTERNATIVE TO BE A PART OF THIS PROJECT Developing the concept and routes for the A user of trains knows what he can Super Cycle Highways are a great oppor- expect. A certain degree of uniformity in • Testing innovative solutions tunity to try out new innovative solutions. the design of the trains, train stations, • New experiences gained from On the Albertslund route, we are working timetables and so on. If we want people pilot routes on solutions with the use of green waves. to perceive the Cycle Super Highways On the Farum route, we expect to try a as a serious alternative, equal to taking • Closer working relationship new type of lighting in the pavement that the car, bus or train, it is essential to have between municipalities runs on solar energy. a brand and a concept. A brand and a • More focus on cycling as a concept, which citizens in the region are means of transportation The evaluation of the pilot routes will help familiar with and which secures uniformity us gather new knowledge on the effect in both design and standard of the routes. of the improvements on: the amount of We aim for the “C” to become a symbol commuters, safety and accident reduction on par with the Metro’s “M” and the “S” in accident. S-train. A closer cooperation between munici- palities creates closer relationships and provides a bigger network, which may be FACT useful in other areas. A motorist describes their choice In general, such a big project with so of a car as a means of transport, many stakeholders brings a lot of atten- the same way as a cyclist de- tion to cycling and cycling benefits in scribes their choice of a bike: general. It is flexible and gives a sense of self-determination and individuality. 6 7 DEFINITION OF CYCLE SUPER HIGHWAYS CONCEPT A Cycle Super Highway is a cycle maintenance. Security is achieved for highway, where the commuters’ needs instance, by clear marking and distance have been given the highest priority. The to cars including advanced stop lines, to project seeks to create routes that offer make cyclists more visible to motorists, fast, comfortable and safe service. A as well as sufficient lightning. In order to Cycle Super Highway is defined both by reduce risks of accidents, many intersec- its location, as well as its physical quali- tions will be restructured in order to give ties. The highway should connect areas cyclists priority. For example, in inter- with many workers and students to their sections with separate traffic lights for homes, and to public transportation pos- bikes, the cyclists may get a green light sibilities as well. The highways should be four seconds before cars would. In some fast, meaning as direct as possible and cases, the head start would be as much with as few stops as possible. A good as 12 seconds. These initiatives make example of how this is achieved is by the cyclists far more visible in traffic. In the use of green waves. Traffic lights are addition, you get to where you’re going normally coordinated in favor of cars, but quicker. the aim for the Cycle Super Highways, is for traffic lights to be adjusted for cyclists Clear signage will make it easy for the along the many main traffic arteries. At a commuter to find his way. To minimize speed of 20km/h, cyclists will be able to clutter, design will be based on traditional surf a wave of green lights through the signage and we will use existing posts city during rush hour, without putting a where possible. Maintenance is essential foot down. for the commuters, especially during the winter. The Cycle Super Highways will be Furthermore, the highways have to be given the highest priority in each munici- comfortable and safe. Comfort is secured pality, concerning issues of road repair by the use of high quality asphalt and and snow removal. Clear signage and high priority in each municipality, concerning issues of road repair and snow removal. 8 9 IT PAYS TO INVEST IN GREAT CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE Every day 125,000 people commute in The benefits of making a network of Cycle and out of Copenhagen, to work and to Super Highways are estimated to be: school. For every 10 kilometers some- one chooses the bike instead of the car, • an annual reduction of approximately society reduces its CO2 emission by 1,6 7,000 ton of CO2 kg and saves DKK 55 in health costs. • an annual saving of DKK 300m (~ According to the Technical University €40m) in societal health costs of Denmark, the costs from increased traffic in the Capital Region of Denmark, • a significant reduction in congestion, adds up to 10 billion DKK each year. This which is a major challenge for the is two-thirds the price of the Øresund Capitol Region of Copenhagen. Bridge. Adding to this, the OECD notes that congestion poses a serious barrier to This can all be achieved for a mere invest- the Capital Regions’ competitiveness.